Early Intervention in Psychosis and Complex Emotional Needs

The EIP service will offer a holistic, non-stigmatising environment that people can access and receive the support and intervention they require as soon as the need is identified. This will include the full range of psychological, psychosocial, pharmacological, and other interventions shown to be effective in NICE guidelines and quality standards, including support for families and carers. Effective and integrated approaches will be used to address the social, physical health and wider needs of people with psychosis to help them reach their own personal goals and aspirations.

An EIP service is a multidisciplinary community mental health service that provides treatment and support to people experiencing their first episode of/or at high risk of developing psychosis. This support typically continues for three years. The defining characteristic of an EIP service is its strong ethos of hope and whole team commitment to enabling recovery through the provision of effective, individually tailored, evidence-based interventions and early support to service users and their families/carers based on a social inclusion and recovery approach.

The service is for those aged 14 to 65 years registered with a GP in Plymouth and surrounding areas.

It is expected that the service provider will proactively engage and jointly work with other appropriate providers and services to meet the objective of integrated service delivery with the patient needs at the centre.

This is not an exhaustive list but demonstrates the breadth of relationships required to provide an effective service:

o education partners and SEND 0-25 teams as key partners.

o Community Mental Health Services

o CAMHS

o Crisis Resolution & Home Treatment Services

o Health Protection

o Mental Health In-patient wards

o Social Care Services

o Safeguarding Services

o Acute Health Care, including ED (Emergency Department)

o Psychological Therapy

o Carers and Family

o Alcohol & Substance Misuse Services

o Criminal Justice System

o Police

o Welfare Rights, Financial and Housing Service Employment Services

o General Practitioners

o Education

o VCSE

o Public Health

o Community Pharmacy

The EIP Contract is currently also combined with a Complex Emotional Needs Service and it is anticipated that this will remain the case.

This service exists as part of an intended integrated approach across health, social care, education and the voluntary sector in Plymouth. It aims to offer a range of evidence based services for 16-25 year olds experiencing significant emotional and psychological distress: characteristics of complex emotional needs that could lead to an emerging personality disorder into the future. For this target group the service will aim to reduce suicidality and reduce levels of self -harm.

The service model emphasises ease of access and early intervention with the service embedded with local youth agencies at street level collaborating with adult mental health, CAMHS and other agreed agencies such as housing and sexual health services. This ensures delivery of seamless and age appropriate care and interventions.

The service is part of Plymouth's developing continuum of provision for those experiencing emotional and psychological distress and will link with other commissioned services as part of the overall provision in the city, and will collect and share data consistent with these other agencies.

The total contract value covering both services is under review but anticipated at approximately £935,000 per annum. Additional information: Any interested parties are asked to contact the email address provided by 11/11/2024 at the latest to confirm.